#WelcomeRefugees: How it will work

The Government of Canada's plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees will be implemented in five phases. It is intended to provide rapid protection for vulnerable Syrian refugees while continuing to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

Progress update

  • 10,121 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada
  • 5,197 refugee applications have been finalized
  • 16,347 resettlement applications in progress

See all the key figures.

Security and health screening

Protecting the safety, security and health of Canadians and refugees is a key factor in guiding the Government of Canada's actions throughout this initiative.

Each individual Syrian refugee that Canada welcomes will undergo a robust, multi-layered screening:

  1. Refugee identification before referral to IRCC
  2. Immigration and security interview by experienced visa officers
  3. Identity and document verification; biometric and biographic collection
  4. Health screening
  5. Identity confirmation prior to departure
  6. Identity verification upon arrival

Find out more about security and health screening.

Image described below

Syrian refugee children attend a UNICEF school in Kilis, Turkey.

Phase 1: Identifying Syrian refugees to come to Canada

Canada will work with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to identify people in Jordan and Lebanon, where they have an extensive list of registered refugees.

Phase 2: Processing Syrian refugees overseas

Interested refugees will be scheduled for processing in dedicated visa offices in Amman and Beirut.

Phase 3: Transportation to Canada

Beginning in December, transportation via privately chartered aircraft, with military aircraft assisting if needed, will be organized to help bring refugees to Canada.

Phase 4: Welcoming in Canada

Upon arrival in Canada, all refugees will be welcomed and processed by Border Services Officers for admission into Canada. This will include final verification of identity. 

All refugees will be screened for signs of illness when they arrive in Canada and treatment will be available if anyone is ill upon arrival.

Phase 5: Settlement and community integration

Syrian refugees will be transported to communities across Canada, where they will begin to build a new life for themselves and their family. They will be provided with immediate, essential services and long-term settlement support to ensure their successful settlement and integration into Canadian society.

Meet the team of federal departments and agencies

This is a detailed plan. A number of federal departments will be involved in implementing this plan, working alongside key partners, stakeholders, provincial and territorial governments and individual Canadians from across the country. It can only succeed if all involved work together.

Here is a quick overview of the roles and responsibilities of the participating departments and agencies.

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
  • Ensure refugees are thoroughly screened to minimize risk to Canadians
  • Facilitate security screening at key points in the process
  • Greet arriving refugees and process them and admit them to Canada

Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF)
  • Prepared to assist this important Whole of Government effort during every phase
  • Prepared to provide, upon request, expertise in planning, command and control, logistics and operational support
  • Prepared to assist with the medical screening and administrative processing of refugee overseas prior to flights to Canada.
  • Prepared to provide temporary lodging for up to 6,000 Syrian refugees at military bases in Ontario and Quebec.
  • Prepared to provide military aircraft to transport refugees as required.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
  • Conduct diplomatic efforts
  • Support IRCC with the proper identification and procurement of offsite processing facilities
  • Coordinate contracting of logistics support
  • Augment Locally Engaged Staff at missions and language specialists
  • Facilitate visas and diplomatic requirements for all federal staff and resources abroad
  • Increase security at Canadian embassies and off-site IRCC processing centres
  • Leverage funding mechanisms to enable engagement with UNHCR and enhance capacity
  • Temporarily deploy staff overseas and provide training
  • Coordinate with host governments the waiver of exit permissions and expedited exit clearances
  • Provide mission specific pre-deployment security training and on-arrival briefings to Canada Based Staff
  • Liaise with foreign authorities to coordinate overflights and landing rights
  • Provide mission support to IRCC departure points and staging areas
  • Assist with redeployment of staff and resources involved in overseas operations

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
  • Identify potential applicants for resettlement with help from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
  • Temporarily deploy IRCC staff overseas
  • Complete immigration processing overseas. This includes full immigration medical examination and security screening which will include collecting biographical information, and biometrics, such as fingerprints and digital photos, which will be checked against immigration, law enforcement and security databases.
  • Establish a travel schedule and plan for contingencies related to delays, cancelations and diversion of travel
  • Determine the final destinations of refugees through a community capacity mapping exercise
  • Coordinate the integration and resettlement of individuals in cooperation with the provinces, territories, municipalities and other partners
  • Provide health coverage until the provincial or territorial health coverage becomes available (through the Interim Federal Health Program)
  • Engage and coordinate with community organizations and volunteers to provide additional support towards integration

Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
  • Provide Quarantine screening at points of entry in Canada
  • Coordinate medical care for all refugees in the temporary accommodations

Public Safety Canada and Emergency Preparedness (PS)

  • Government Operations Centre (GOC) provides coordination to federal departments and partners on behalf of the Government of Canada

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)
  • procure the goods and services required by the Government of Canada

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
  • Assist IRCC and CBSA through the processing of biometric submissions to Real Time Identification (RTID) as part of the security screening process

Transport Canada (TC)
  • Coordinate with NavCan for incoming flights
  • Provide aircraft safety and security guidelines to IRCC

In the news

Donate. Volunteer. Sponsor.

Find out what you can do to help Syrian refugees.

Canada: A History of Refuge

Visit our online refugee exhibition to learn more about refugees in Canada.

Join the conversation

Use the hashtag #WelcomeRefugees to join the conversation on social media.

Date Modified:
Feedback about this Web site